Two ladies sewing a fabric

Venture Capital and the Rise of Africa's Tech Startups

The startup scene is seeing breakneck growth, slowed only by a lack of funding.

The Latest from IFC

Building Legacies, from One Island Nation to Anothe

The Africa CEO Forum

Held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire from the 12-13 May, the Forum brought together more than 2,000 CEOs, investors, heads of state, and ministers.

Seeding Sierra Leone’s Food Secure Future

A first-of-its-kind farm is helping make the country self-sufficient in onion production, training a new generation of farmers, and boosting families’ quality of life. 

World Bank Group Youth Summit

The Summit brings together young people to tackle urgent global challenges, including digital transformation, creative industries, and youth-led innovation for a livable planet.

What We Do

A strong and engaged private sector is indispensible to ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. That's where IFC comes in - we have more than 60 years experience in unlocking private investment, creating markets and opportunities where they are needed most.

Products and Services

We provide investment, advice, and asset management — offerings that are mutually reinforcing and can be tailored to a client’s specific needs.

Sectors and Expertise

We apply our financial resources, technical expertise, global experience, and innovative thinking to help our partners overcome financial, operational, and other challenges.

Our Impact

IFC works with clients to create the opportunities which help the private sector mobilize solutions and finance to solve development challenges.

IFC at a glance

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries.

In fiscal year 2024, IFC committed a record $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. 

  • 62.5 Million
    People connected to the internet
  • 11.3 Million
    People supplied with power
  • $226.5 Billion
    In Trade Finance Volume
  • $516.9 Billion
    In Impact from SME Loans

BROWSE BY REGION

See where we work

IFC’s impact spans more than 100 nations. We empower entrepreneurs all over the world, turning bold ideas into engines of inclusive growth creating millions of jobs, uplifting lives, and transforming communities.

Featured Publications

Report cover

Financing Firm Growth

Report

New research highlights how equity and bond markets foster growth in developing economies, contributing $4 trillion in capital and generating 5 percent more jobs over three decades.

The Run on Recycled Plastic

EMERGING MARKET INSIGHTS

Demand for recycled plastic is set to rise in the coming years, opening opportunities for recyclers, particularly in emerging markets.

Reassessing Risk in Emerging Market Lending

Research Note

New statistics from the GEMs Consortium on around 15,000 loans to private companies in developing economies, reveal that the risk of investing in emerging market businesses is lower than commonly perceived.